Chop, Chop

On Friday, my mom and I took Ethan and Henry to get their hair cut. Although Ethan has had his hair cut several times; this was a big occasion for Henry, as it was his first time. We decided that it would be a good idea this time around not to let it grow and see how it looked long. Quite frankly, he was getting pretty shaggy and having a hard time seeing through his bangs. I am convinced he like the feeling of the shag against his forehead though because his head shaking for "no" has increased over the past week or so! I will admit I was a little nervous about his hair cut because I was afraid of losing his white hair!

Because I was in Crystal Lake with boys this weekend, we decided to take them to a local establishment that has been around for as long as I can remember...Clip Joint! A no appointments necessary type of place, but with a great kid snip area!

Here are the boys patiently waiting for their turn. Trucks, books and a television...they were in heaven!

A (bad) before shot of Henry...not too bad, but his bangs were getting a little out of control and the home haircuts were just not cutting it anymore.

Ethan, now impatiently waiting his turn. They did have race cars that you could sit in and have your haircut so we resorted to those as entertainment.

Here is my sweet baby getting his hair cut. He looks so grown up here; it almost brings a tear to my eye. He did a pretty good job, but that is relative! There was not crying or screaming, but we did have to hold him down and keep his head straight as time went on. He just does not want to sit still...at all!

And here is the after...so cute and so handsome and so grown up! Looking just like his daddy!

Brothers! Trying to capture a picture of them together is quite difficult these days...this is the best I could do!

Finally, it is Ethan's turn. He is an old pro at this, but he looks scared to death in this picture. Gripping the steering wheel so tightly. Just a quick trim for him!

Handsome Henry checking himself out!

One final attempt at a picture before we headed home! Not too bad...love how I captured the Crystal Lake on the bench...we shall never forget where Henry's first hair cut took place! Gotta love CL!

It was a fun little outing to a long standing Crystal Lake locale. I left with two very handsome little boys who were happy as clams with their suckers. The best part about getting a hair cut, for sure!

Pic From This Morning

Grand Canyon from 38,000 feet.

Cousins

Since we haven't taken a cousins picture for a while we thought we would try and capture one after Ethan's birthday. Here are a couple outtakes...

Cheese!

"Baby Ellie, whatcha doin'?"

"Who ya gonna call?"

And probably the best one...

Honestly, could these 3 get any cuter? I don't think so!

A Fiery Fiesta

We decided to do something very small and informal for Ethan's birthday this year. Well, small and informal doesn't seem to be in my vocabulary because no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't let his birthday pass without a party to celebrate our sweet boy. In all honesty, it was nothing fancy, just a small get together with some friends and most importantly, FIRE TRUCKS!

The day was spent outside enjoying gorgeous weather. The kids had a blast running around, burning off some stored energy. We also ate great food and drank some much needed adult beverages. Mostly enjoying the company of some great friends we had not seen in a long time.

Having 11 kiddos there under the age of 4 makes for quite a wild party. There was lots of running around, scooter riding, grocery shopping, and of course cruising in the power wheels!
Heather and Bob were nice enough to bring the Escalade along with them and of course, the tractor was in full swing as well. Both were a huge hit, especially with the "bigger" kids. I think Jack and Anna enjoyed riding in the Escalade the most; as long as they were together! A budding romance, perhaps?!?!?
The babies even enjoyed themselves! Soon enough it will be time to celebrate their 1st birthdays. I can't believe it!

Shortly after dinner it was time to have birthday cake. About 6 months ago, Ethan, out of the blue, said he wanted a fire truck cake. We talked about it a lot, but I honestly thought he would change his mind. Over the next couple of months I would occasionally ask him about his cake and he still said fire truck. How could I let this birthday pass without getting the child a fire truck cake? So, I started to research how to make my own, but after countless hours, I was coming up short. At least nothing was meeting my expectations! I finally found a woman nearby that makes cakes from her home and was willing to make the 3D cake I had pictured in my head. The end result was nothing more than perfection!
From the white chocolate ladders to the "Ethan" license plate, Tracey did not miss a single detail. The cake was darling! If you live in the area and are looking for a delicious cake, contact Cutie Patootie cakes; Tracey is amazing. The cake is yummy too!

Even though Ethan loves to sing Happy Birthday, he was a little hesitant when it came time for the singing and the candles. I don't know if it was all the attention or what, but you can tell by his face that he wasn't quite sure about the whole thing.
He quickly got over it and posed for some cute pictures!
The boys ensured they got a piece of the wheel...it looks like they enjoyed it!
And even though I wanted to do something "not too fancy," I couldn't help but get the kids a little party favor. These are adorable fire house themed crayons I found on Etsy. I custom ordered a set of 3 (fire hat, hydrant, and truck) crayons from ScribblerCrayons and they were adorable. They came really fast and pre-wrapped, which makes for an easy favor.
After everyone left, it was time to open presents. Cars 2 was a common theme among the gifts which was alright with Ethan. He received quite a few die cast cars from the movie (I think he might have almost all of them now) and a few t-shirts that would be worn everyday if I would let him. Here he is modeling...
He also received a very cool Little Tikes Baseball Trainer and Zum Balance Bike. Both have been big hits and will get a ton of use until the weather starts to get chilly and we receive our first snow fall (can't believe I am even saying that).
So, a very big HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY to our Ethan John! I know he enjoyed his small fiesta and couldn't have been more thrilled with the most important element of his party, the fire truck cake!